


it could be you

by possibilityleft



Category: Jem and the Holograms (Cartoon)
Genre: Confessions, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Long-Term Relationship(s), Loving Your True Self, Post-Canon, resolved emotional tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:42:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27068080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilityleft/pseuds/possibilityleft
Summary: Jerrica decides to take the big step and finally tell Rio about Jem.
Relationships: Jem | Jerrica Benton/Rio Pacheco
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5
Collections: Little Black Dress Flash 2020





	it could be you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DesertVixen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertVixen/gifts).



Jerrica thought that maybe she should be more offended that Rio had chosen Jem over her at times, but the fact of the matter was, Jem was still _her_. Jem was the person she could be without all of the day's responsibilities weighing her down. That was one of the reasons Jerrica loved being her.

But Jem was a fantasy, a career, and Jerrica was a person. Rio knew everything about her and he genuinely cared. He tried to get her to slow down and spend more time with him, and he was always there if she called, no matter what the time.

She knew he didn't understand why she pushed him on Jem -- she hardly understood it herself, because it hurt when he took the bait. She and Kimber had worked on so many songs about her feelings, but somehow she was never able to express them to him.

She didn't want anything to change. She wanted to be Jem and sing, and then she wanted to be Jerrica, to take care of her father's legacy and the girls. She'd promised to do that when her father passed, and beyond that simple promise, she couldn't bear to disappoint anyone.

"Jerrica?" Rio said, and she could tell it was the second time; there was a hint of frustration in his voice. "You seem like you're always a million miles away nowadays."

Jerrica sighed. Here they were in a nice restaurant for their anniversary, and her mind was turning again to Jem and the Starlight girls.

"I'm sorry, Rio," she said, reaching across the table and taking his hand. She could feel her heart in her throat. So many times she'd come close to confessing her secret identity, but she always chickened out. Were they about to start another year with this deception?

She took a deep breath. Rio had known her for her entire life. He'd loved her nearly as long. He'd driven her everywhere, tried to help with the girls, and if this was the end, well, at least he'd know the truth.

"Rio, I'm Jem," she said, and waited for his response. He just looked confused, and then he laughed.

"Is this some kind of joke?" he said. "I've seen you both in the same room."

"It was an illusion. I wanted to keep my superstar life and my real life separate -- but it wasn't right of me to lie to you. I'm sorry."

He seemed to be realizing she was serious, and his uncertainty evolved to anger. He stood up from the table so abruptly that his chair fell over. Her heart fell and a lump rose in her throat, the tears rising despite the fact that she didn't want to attract any more attention. She felt like everyone in the restaurant must be staring at them.

Rio just stared at her.

"Jerrica, all this time I've been feeling like -- like you wanted me to be with Jem instead of you. But then you seemed like you were jealous of her! This -- this is a lot. I need to think about it."

Jerrica sniffled. "Of course."

He paid the bill before he left, but Jerrica had lost her appetite. She called Kimber and got her to pick her up in the roadster. On the way home she told her sister what had happened.

"It's about time, Jerrica," Kimber said. Jerrica was full on crying now, and barely mustered a noise in protest.

"You couldn't keep the secret forever. Things will work out, you'll see."

Jerrica wasn't so sure, but there was a part of her that did feel lighter, knowing that she didn't need to deceive Rio any longer.

*

Rio didn't call her over the next week. Jerrica threw herself into her daytime work as much as she could, trying to keep busy. She helped Mrs. Bailey clean the Starlight Mansion and sat down with the Starlight Music executives to go over the company finances until her head swirled with numbers. They were making enough money to support the girls, which was the most important thing, and the Hologram records were selling well. Everything was actually going pretty well in Jerrica's life, except for her relationship.

They had a single release party scheduled for the Saturday after the ill-fated anniversary confession. Jem had to go, of course. She made sure to leave an invitation for Rio, just in case he decided to come. When she and the Holograms mounted the stage to perform, she searched for him in the crowd, to no avail.

It wasn't until afterwards, when most of the guests had gone and they were packing up their equipment, that someone grabbed Jem by the arm. She turned in surprise to see Rio. Before she could react, he had picked her up and swung her around into his arms.

"Take that costume off," he said. "I want to see your real face."

It was only the girls here still, so Jem whispered the command to Synergy, and as soon as she was Jerrica again, he swept her into a deep kiss.

"All this time, I thought I was falling in love with two girls and they turned out to be the same person!" He laughed. "You could have saved me a lot of guilt, you know!"

"Sorry, Rio," she said, and she hugged him tightly. She loved the way her head fit under his chin. It was so comfortable and familiar, sweeping the last week's sadness away as if it had never occurred.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Jerrica," Rio said. "I want to know everything!"

She rested her hand on his chest and looked up at him. "Can it be tomorrow? I just want it to be the two of us tonight."

He nodded, and kissed her, and Jerrica felt her heart sing -- finally in harmony.


End file.
